Front camera install killed my battery :(

Hey TacomaWorld,

I have a peculiar problem. I recently installed an Alpine deck in my 3rd gen 2019 Tacoma, and I added a cheap front camera from Amazon. Everything worked great until recently -- the truck wouldn't start after sitting for a few weeks.

I checked the battery with a multimeter and it read 5.5(!) volts, way too low. I had a hunch that something with my front camera install was the culprit, so I checked the fuse circuit on which I had installed it with the multimeter. I used the 10A fuse labeled EFI NO 1, which is what a lot of YouTube videos recommend.

Here's the strange thing: That fuse circuit and the camera appeared to be drawing power even when the truck is turned off. Shouldn't that EFI / electronic fuel pump circuit only draw power with the truck on? I just triple-checked and a lot of YouTubers all use that exact same fuse and circuit with an add-a-fuse, which is what I did.

I've been Googling to to no avail, so any help or info would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

 

I would verify there is no power to the new camera when the ignition switch is off.